Tips for Running a Successful Book Club

I don’t know when the idea of book clubs was invented, but I’m so glad that they’re a thing and becoming more popular. Books take us out of ourselves, widen our perspectives on the world and on life, and connect us with others.

They can be tricky to start and even trickier to keep going. With different personalities and schedules, it can get complicated to ensure that there’s a consistent schedule, commitment from all members, and making sure that you have a solid group of people. I’ve been involved in the founding of several book clubs, and have been a longtime member of several of them.

Book clubs started off as a hobby on the side of teaching, and have morphed into something that I always want to be a part of. Here are some of the principles that help you get a book club started, and keep it running strong for years.

Tips for Making a Book Club Work

1. Aim for a sweet spot number of members

People have different comfort levels in terms of the number of people they want to gather with. You may have to keep space in mind, if you’re meeting at people’s houses. Generally though I’d recommend aiming for between 5 and 10 members for a book club. This is the sweet spot number that gives everyone a chance to speak, and is easy enough to find space.

Once the number of members goes over 10, it starts to feel like speaking to an audience rather than a small group. It also becomes hard to have a group conversation, and you may see more small conversations rather than a collective conversation. It’s harder for people who are shy, because they may be more hesitant to share their thoughts with a big group rather than a smaller one.

If you’re starting your book club at a place where new members should constantly feel welcome to join, such as a work book club then you could consider splitting a group into two if it gets too big – or just accepting that its going to be big, and taking steps to mitigate it so it still feels like a good discussion

2. Choose a consistent day each month

Book clubs work best if everyone can rely on the fact that meetings are happening on a consistent basis. Choose a day of the week and a time that works for most people, and stick to it, such as the first Sunday of every month, or the last Friday of every month. (Go by a day of the week + time rather than the date number, such as the 15th.)

The same day of the week ensures that busy schedules can block it off on their schedule. Knowing the dates you’re meeting far in advance helps people clear their schedules, and it increases the likelihood that you have more people show up.

Also, keep in mind that there are different frequencies for book clubs. Some book clubs meet biweekly to discuss books part of the way through. The frequency that works best depends on the age group of your members and what their lives look like. Busy parents usually find it hard to meet biweekly, but it may work fine for retired people!

3. Someone steps up as the group leader

Most people are happy enough to be apart of a book club, but don’t want to run it. Book clubs work best when someone is willing to take on the idea that they’re informally leading. As the leader, you nudge the group into the direction that everyone secretly wants it to go in. For example, you remind everyone of an upcoming meeting, facilitate book votes, and do little things like this that help make it run.

This doesn’t mean you’re the boss, or have the final say on things (at least I’ve never seen it like that – book clubs work best when votes decide) but someone has to start the vote or suggest the idea of having one. Often it may be the strongest personality who takes on this unofficial leading tole, but usually it may also be the founder – whose ever idea it was to start a book club in the first place. Without some sort of unofficial leader, things may just sit and not get done. The group may even fall apart if no one takes on that unofficial role if too many people are more passive and wishy-washy.

4. No requirement to finish the book

I’ve never been in a book club where there was a requirement to finish the book, and as a mom of two, I think this would be an unrealistic expectation. However, those who have not finished the book should expect that the ending will be discussed at the meeting, so if they attend the meeting without finishing then they should be ok with hearing about the ending.

5. Tough decisions are made with votes

A decision that you’ll have to make often is which book to read, and book votes are a good way to decide that. Sometimes too, things have to be decided outside of regular book votes or meeting times – for example, if you want to plan a special event outside of meetings, or want to do something special to celebrate the book club, or a certain person, or even a holiday like Christmas. The only way to be fair is to hold votes and make the decision that works for everyone, ideally. (if not, then at least most people.)

6. Choose the book-choosing method that works for your group

In my current book club, we all nominate one book (which means 7 books are up for nomination) and the top 3 become the following months’ books that we all read. This works well for us. We also like to choose the books a few months in advance. For example, after a book vote, we’ll say “the first place book will be our September book, second place is our October book, and the third place book will be our November read.” This gives everyone enough time to find the books (whether they’re buying, borrowing or downloading them) and read them.

In a previous book club I was a member of, each member took turns recommending a list of 5-6 books and the rest of us voted; the book with the most votes won for the next months’ book. This was a good way to make sure that everyone got a chance to have a book they were interested in to be read. The only problem with this method was that we had over 10 members, so it was actually pretty rare (once a year) that you actually got a chance to nominate books. We also always did the book the month before, which didn’t give as much time to both find and read the book. (Plus, we all lived locally so if you wanted to borrow it, you had to be fast as members would check it out and sometimes keep it until the meeting date so that it could be fresh in their mind.)

I liked both methods for different reasons, but overall the first method has been more enjoyable. There are many ways you can do it.

7. Try to give everyone a turn to talk

You’re going to encounter different personalities in a book club. Some people talk a lot, and share their thoughts every time there’s an opportunity; some people prefer to listen, and some people would like to talk more but are more hesitant.

Keep in mind that even if someone is quiet, it doesn’t mean they don’t want to share (I say this as one of the quieter members.) I don’t enjoy having to cut other people off in order to share. When there aren’t any obvious pauses in the discussion, I turn more into an observer than a sharer.

There is naturally always going to be people who are inclined to talk more or less. Do what you can to make sure that everyone at least has an opportunity to share their thoughts. If you have a member or a couple of members that tend to dominate conversations too much, there are ways to rectify it to make it more fair. Sometimes this comes down to the unofficial leader.

8. Embrace differences of opinion

Some books can be thought-provoking and cause a stir of different opinions. It’s amazing how different people can interpret and see a book completely differently. People appreciate different things about books, for very different reasons.

Just assume that there will be differences in opinion about each book, and rather than coming up with a black-and-white consensus (did we like this book or not like it) remain curious about how everyone felt about it. Ask them why they liked or didn’t like it, and give them a chance to point out something they noticed that maybe others didn’t. The beauty of book clubs is that difference in opinion, so try to turn this into the group strength rather than a weak point. Empower people to share, and encourage active listening and acceptance of different viewpoints.

9. Create a balance between book talk and social time

There’s going to be different takes on this, but mostly, it should be assumed that book clubs aren’t just about books – they’re a chance to connect with others too. And that means connecting beyond just about the book. Conversations often go all over the place, about families, lives outside of work, people’s childhood memories, their first loves, and the vacations they just came back from.

Try to allow for enough of both – book talk, and life talk. People usually want to discuss the book, but they want to talk about non book stuff too. You could set the first 30 minutes of your meeting strictly about the book, and keep it open-ended after that, or you could just let the conversation flow but keep bringing it back to the book club questions (this is what I’ve seen most clubs do.)

Final Thoughts on Starting and Running a Book Club

Everyone is going to have different preferences and ideals when it comes to a club they belong to. The exchange of different ideas and perspectives is what makes it enriching. The above ideas aren’t a guideline, but a suggestion. Each book club is as unique as the members who are in it.